Heading ever further up the coast we see Dick's interpretation of the Monterey Pier. I was Attending Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. During the mid seventies and my father drove up several times.

This dramatic coastal setting depicts a dilapidated building perched precipitously between the road and a rocky cliff overlooking shore breakers. It was a familiar site for sightseers and surfers along the Pacific Coast Highway I in the 50’s and 60’s. The building was a restaurant for years and then I believe it burnt down and all evidence has vanished. I want to call it “The Cliff House”, but I can’t remember the exact name. Perhaps it will jog someone’s memory and they will comment.Untitled, Oil, Canvas on Masinite, 24x30 signed By Dick Burg

These painting document a period when the PCH was a twisting two-laner that took you to the sand dune’s and Point Magu. Dick painted these two in the late sixties showing a diversity of color spectrum that the ocean atmosphere can offer.Untitled,Oil, canvas on masonite, 20x24,signed by Dick Burg

The San Pedro Harbor was another favorite painting locale that my father frequented. He created many variations, trying to capture the sun light's fleeting stages.

This piece was from the estate of Robert Gumbiner, a physician and HMO pioneer who built the managed-care giant FHP and then used his fortune to found the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. Clark Cierlak Fine Arts,14452 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA. handled the sale.

Another in the series of the Morro Bay area. Dick's mastery of the "marine greys" is never more apparent then in these serene coastal scenes. Painting comes from the Bill Engelsmann estate in St. Louis Missouri.- Peter Burg

My father's work has recently show up on internet on-line auctions. This piece was from the estate of Robert Gumbiner, a physician and HMO pioneer who built the managed-care giant FHP and then used his fortune to found the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. I was Browsing one day an low and behold. Clark Cierlak Fine Arts,14452 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA. handled the sale.

This expansive work of Santa Monica Pier was purchased by Mort of Mort's Delicatessen, located on Swarthmore Ave. in Pacific Palisades, California. It hung in the banquet room and is still there as of 2008.

This picture came off of Dick's brochure. He revisited this locale often, rendering various depictions and interesting views. The Boat House was a quaint eatery on the Santa Monica Pier and may have been destroyed by fire. The original oil painting is out there somewhere.

I remember the early works that hung in the house at Muskingum. Most were of old cars and strange old men in costumes. Then there appeared scenes of the beach, boats and piers. These are among my favorite. I spent many hours in and around the Santa Monica Pier, riding the merry-go-round and putting coins in the “Fortune Telling Lady”, eating cotton candy and taking the trolley through Venice to Pacific Ocean Park.-Peter Burg

Friday, July 23, 2010

Dick Burg, a graduate of Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., associated with Hallmark Cards, Inc. for 35 years, has been painting professionally since 1959.Mr. Burg paints in most media but specializes in oils and acrylics. He favors the palette knife technique to attain distinctive textures.

Living and working for the past 36 years in a home overlooking the Pacific, he has learned to understand and reproduce on canvas the subtle greys that are so characteristic of the marine scene; the constant moving of ships, the misty wetness of harbors and piers. Because of this the marine scene might be his favorite subject matter. He also excels in painting weathered buildings in historical settings and picturesque desert scenes.

Dick Burg’s paintings are owned by collectors from coast to coast and several are permanently hanging in the executive offices of Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Mo. He is represented in prominent galleries throughout the Southland.

He has been a consistent award winner in Southern California, receiving numerous medals and ribbons, including Best of Show, California Art Club; Presidential Award, San Gabriel Fine Arts Assn.; Medal Winner, Los Angeles City Art Festival; Artist of the Year, Businessmen’s Art Institute; and Best of Show share Presbyterian Show, Pasadena, Ca.

Invitational Shows in which Mr. Burg has participated include The Frank Tenney Johnson Show, The Showcase 21 Show, The Disney Artist for Cal. State, The City of Paramount Traditional Art Show, and The Ft. Robinson Show.

Other activities include demonstrating, judging shows in Southern California, and conducting workshops. Mr. Burg has had many one man Shows including the recent “MOOD MEXICO” at San Gabriel, California; a mixed media Show at The Winston Churchill Memorial Library, Fulton, Misouri; at the Missouri Athletic Club Gallery in St. Louis, Mo. and Prys Gallery in Los Olives, California. Mr. Burg’s paintings also featured at the Montecito Gallery in Montecito, California.